MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 105 



thought you would; it's generally considered an excellent likeness — 

 so it should, indeed, for it cost a vast of money — fifty guineas ! to 

 say nothing of the lotus-leafed pedestal it's on. That's another of 

 me," continued Jawleyford, pointing to a bust above the fireplace, on 

 the opposite side of the gallery ; " done some years since — ten or 

 twelve, at least — not so like as this, but still like. That portrait up 

 there, just above the ' Finding of Moses,' by Poussin," pointing to 

 a portrait of himself attitudinising, with his hand on his hip, and 

 frock-coat well thrown back, so as to show his figure and the silk 

 lining to advantage, " was done the other day, by a very rising young 

 artist ; though he has hardly done me justice, perhaps — particularly 

 in the nose, which he's made far too thick and heavy ; and the right 

 hand, if anything, is rather clumsy; otherwise the colouring is good, 

 and there is a considerable deal of taste in the arrangement of the 

 background, and so on." 



" What book is it you are pointing to ? " asked Sponge. 



" It's not a book," replied Mr. Jawleyford, " it's a plan — a plan 

 of this gallery, in fact. I am supposed to be giving the final order 

 for the erection of the very edifice we are now in." 



" And a very handsome building it is," observed Sponge, thinking 

 he would make it a shooting-gallery when he got it. 



" Yes, it's a handsome thing in its way," assented Jawleyford ; 

 " better if it had been water-tight, perhaps," added he, as a big drop 

 splashed upon the crown of his head. 



" The contents must be very valuable," observed Sponge. 



" Very valuable," replied Jawleyford. " There's a thing I gave 

 two hundred and fifty guineas for — that vase. It's of Parian mar- 

 ble, of the Cinque Cento period, beautifully sculptured in a dance of 

 Bacchanals, arabesques, and chimera figures, it was considered cheap. 

 Those fine monkeys in Dresden china playing on musical instruments, 

 were forty ; those bronzes of scaramouches, on or-molu plinths were 

 seventy ; that or-molu clock, of the style of Louis Quinze, by Le 

 Roy, was eighty ; those Sevres vases were a hundred — mounted, you 

 see, in or-molu, with lily candelabra for ten lights. The handles," 

 continued he, drawing Sponge's attention to them, " are very hand- 

 some — composed of satyrs holding festoons of grapes and flowers, 

 which surround the neck of the vase ; on the sides are pastoral sub- 

 jects, painted in the highest style — nothing can be more beautiful, or 

 more chaste." 



" Nothing," assented Sponge. 



" The pictures, I should think, are most valuable," observed 

 Jawleyford. u My friend Lord Sparklebury said to me the last time 

 he was here — he's now in Italy, increasing his collection — ' Jawley- 

 ford, old boy,' said he, for we are very intimate — just like brothers, 

 in fact ; ' Jawleyford. old boy, I wonder whether your collection or 

 mine would fetch most money, if they were Christie-&-Manson'd.' 

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